Words on Fire

Lukas and Audra hide behind a barrel before sneaking off to the barn. Rusakov finds the book hidden in the quilt and demands that the guests confess who brought it. Audra wants to confess, but Lukas reminds her it is not worth it. Rusakov threatens to burn down the town if the soldiers find a second book, starting with the barn Lukas and Audra are hiding in. They flee to the forest, where Audra breaks down sobbing, feeling responsible for the destruction. Lukas assures her it is not their fault, and they decide to get as many books as they can from villagers’ homes before the soldiers find them.

Lukas and Audra run from house to house, warning the homeowners of the search. While some do not need their assistance, others unload many books to Audra and Lukas. Lukas brings them to a hidden location in the forest while Audra collects more. Audra searches an empty home and finds a book the moment a soldier arrives for a search. She is able to quickly hide the book in her apron.

The soldier finds more books in another room and lights the bed on fire, taking the books with him. Audra douses the fire with water and then flees the scene. A young girl approaches Audra to save her book, and while running to the forest with it, Audra runs into a soldier who grabs her. She frees herself but must leave the books behind. Lukas leads her to the forest, where they meet up with other villagers. Lukas tells her they did not save “enough” books but wants to show her something important.

Lukas and Audra watch from the edge of the forest as houses in the village burn, while other villagers are forced to watch books burn in the town square. Rusakov admonishes the villagers, calling them “fools” and insisting that they must accept their Russian identities. An older man speaks out against Rusakov, so soldiers knock him down with a rifle and drag him away.

Rusakov finally orders the square to clear out, and when he gets called away, Audra decides to rescue as many unburned books as she can. She and Lukas rescue a pile of books despite Audra burning her arm in the fire. When the soldiers return, Audra and Lukas overhear Rusakov order his soldiers to shoot any villager who “tries to challenge” (172) them, and then he announces that he will arrest the source of the smuggled books. Lukas and Audra hurry to Milda’s to try to save her.

Hurrying to Milda’s, the children run into Roze. Despite Milda’s warning for the children to save themselves, Lukas and Roze remind Audra that they must save the books so that there is no evidence to indict Milda. Audra reminds them that Milda’s life is just as important and that the soldiers already know she is smuggling.

Lukas agrees to move the books from the secret library while Roze helps Milda sneak out during Audra’s distraction. Using props from her father’s bag of tricks, Audra calls the officers outside of Milda’s house, promising to exchange information about the smugglers if they can beat her trick. She keeps the coin hidden from them, and despite their incorrect guesses, they remind Audra that she still must answer their questions. She bargains for another trick and tries to flee but runs right into Rusakov. He drags her into Milda’s house, where the two soldiers find that Milda has disappeared. Rusakov blames the night’s events on Audra and asks her if she is willing to save herself (180).

Rusakov reminds Audra of their agreement, and he knows she is lying when she tells him she has no information to share. He notices the burn on her arm and squeezes the wound until she cries. 

Audra tells Rusakov that the villagers are innocent, but Rusakov promises that “everywhere [the] smugglers go, [he] will follow, and [he] will bring fire and punishment” (183). Unable to stop herself, she condemns his actions. Again, he blames her for the night’s events and threatens to burn more of the village if she does not tell him where she got the book. She lies, saying she brought the book directly over from Prussia, and tells Rusakov about the stash of books they rescued in the forest. Determined to keep questioning her, Rusakov throws her into a prison wagon and confiscates her father’s bag, ordering it to be burned.

Audra knows smuggling is an adult crime but hopes she will be treated more gently in prison. In an empty room, Audra contemplates the strength she will need to overcome being tortured if that is what her captors decide to do. When Rusakov finally arrives with a table and chair for himself, he confirms that the Zikarises were deported to Siberia. He then shows Audra a metal box containing some of her parents’ belongings, including a small key.

Rusakov reminds Audra that the “smuggler boy” is giving him “a great deal of trouble” and offers her a fresh start to “a law-abiding life” (192-93) if she shares information about her friends. Audra does not know what to do.

Rusakov gives her one hour to write down the names of the criminals she knows. Audra looks through her parents’ belongings, pocketing the key. She stares at the blank paper for a long time before writing one name and then falls asleep.

Rusakov returns and is furious to see that Audra has printed his name. He tells Audra he will ensure she gets deported and assures her that he will find her friends anyway. Audra is certain her parents would be proud of her but also feels that she will never “forgive [herself] for failing to save [her parents]” (197).